Is there a chance we can get a single race reset, while in open beta?
Is it just me? I quickly picked a race at launch but not happy with it, but I have already spent credits on the character so cannot reset or create a new alt.
I disagree. Race is purely RP, and it is something that has been watered down elsewhere as something you can trade around like fashion. A single free reset if you didn't read beforehand in creation, sure, but not something you can just do whenever, even if bought with credits.
I mean, it is only a matter of time before someone uses aesthetic body modifications as an excuse to give themselves characteristics that they find cute/terrifying/cool or would be otherwise specific to another race. Heck, I'm even half-tempted!
I'd support a one time change for beta, but I wouldn't want it to last forever or there to be more ways to get it. Let the people who rushed to make a character on day 1 make that choice again, after that leave it be and don't dilute the RP aspect of a persons race.
No offence, but I consider that a pretty selfish attitude. Someone later on might make a mistake and then seriously regret it later, and because they weren't in our beta period of free stat resets, free class resets, free race resets, they'd feel dissatisfied for a very long time.
I've made this clear in the past, but I consider someone's personal enjoyment to be above most other things.
If someone really feels uncomfortable playing a race, or feels like another race would fit them better, let them swap. Do it once only, sure. Make it a considered decision. Let it happen though.
Let people decide to live as another race because they decide they like the culture a lot more. Make them have a mandatory culture tutorial. Whatever you want. It's not as if this is some bizarre impossible thing that's totally impossible due to the constraints of technology or something.
That's my piece.
Also, Gender Decheerans.
I respectfully disagree. I feel like race is one of those boundaries the admin put in (especially with no race changes) to be RP focused. The ability to swap has always been jarring in other IRE games and I LOVE that it's not a possibility in Starmourn. The solution is to read up before creating a character. Nothing wrong with trying out different combinations either.
That being said, a one time race change during open beta would be fine. There was a rush to join on day one, some people didn't bother paying attention, I get that. Others paid no attention to their character's ages and discovered they were 15. lol.
I'm also 110% behind the ability to switch genders, and I feel like Decheerans should be able to choose between it/its and they/their.
Racial changes make sense to me during novicehood and/or a certain time investment in game. Let newcomers explore the world and then fully embrace a culture when they have to actually pay for those clones.
Racial changes make sense to me during novicehood and/or a certain time investment in game. Let newcomers explore the world and then fully embrace a culture when they have to actually pay for those clones.
Yep, there can be a happy medium here. Allow race resets until maybe level 15, and then you're locked in.
There's also an available RP reason for it, too: before level 15, your clones are free. And because it's free, HETE doesn't care as much if they put you in a proper body (yay capitalism!), hence race mismatches.
Mereas Eyrlock "They're excited, but poor." - Ilyos (August 2019)
Yep, there can be a happy medium here. Allow race resets until maybe level 15, and then you're locked in.
There's also an available RP reason for it, too: before level 15, your clones are free. And because it's free, HETE doesn't care as much if they put you in a proper body (yay capitalism!), hence race mismatches.
I too support a one time reset (for all novices) and I'd be cool with an artifact to allow an additional one time change. Not a fan of constant swapping since it isn't needed for stats but if added it won't ruin the game for me. I think modding or swapping your 'meatsack' is fine in a sci-fi setting.
Also support the same for gender. One time free (plus rename?) and rest as arti. See previous argument about 'meatsack' modification.
Granted I've only taken a handful of philosophy classes, but my understanding is that postmodernism is a very broad range of approaches that deal with the nature of language and knowledge. Most famously, postmodern approaches deal with how language and imagery can be used to create and alter the meaning they are assumed to simply convey, and how that created meaning shapes the narratives that inform how we understand our material reality. To put that in today's terms, it is an attempt to understand how "alternative facts" shape our perceptions in this "post-truth" world, not an active endorsement of them.
Ironically, the term has since become politicized by people like Jordan Peterson, who have willfully misrepresented* the concept and crafted it into a derogatory word for any approach that questions or challenges the structures of power whose narratives, until recently, have dominated our discussions to the point of becoming taken for granted as an objective truth as opposed to messages that exist within a sociopolitical context.
* That or they legitimately do not understand it. Dude has a PhD though, so my bet is that it's willful.
I don't really get the point of not making race changes accessible, be it via artifacts or otherwise. It has no mechanical impact, and therefore if someone chooses to change their race, it should make zero difference on how you play the game. If someone doesn't want to "embrace the culture" of their race, who cares.
That being said, I would personally be interested in having it available through novicehood as well as one freebie for the beta. But if I change my mind again, I don't think it's unreasonable to want for an alternative to, you know, rolling an entirely new character because someone else might be offended by the idea.
The argument is that the race of your character should be important decision. If it becomes something you can easily, or at all, change, then it becomes irrelevant and inevitably leads to cheapening racial roleplay.
I honestly can't say I disagree. Mostly just think novices (and everyone who has participated in the beta) should have the opportunity to say once, 'Actually, you know what, I think that race over there fits my character better."
The argument is that the race of your character should be important decision. If it becomes something you can easily, or at all, change, then it becomes irrelevant and inevitably leads to cheapening racial roleplay.
I honestly can't say I disagree. Mostly just think novices (and everyone who has participated in the beta) should have the opportunity to say once, 'Actually, you know what, I think that race over there fits my character better."
It's fine for people to place that kind of importance on their race, but it should also be fine for others to not be held to the same expectations. For some of us, it really is irrelevant to a point, and that should be okay. If you (the general you, not you you) don't like the potential ability to change your own race, don't change your own race, know what I mean?
How much you personally adhere to racial culture and RP is up to you. That is a personal character choice. There are plenty of instances of this, with female-presenting Deecherans, Jin who ignore T'rath lore, W'hoorn who don't live by physical dominance, space weebs, etc.
That is also different than introducing game lore that race is an interchangeable and irrelevant commodity, which impacts people via world-building than just those who choose to make use of the service.
I mean if we’re talking immersion, why can’t HETE put my cerebral upload into whatever I choose? Seems like an arbitrary limitation for some high brow RP people more than anything.
I think a lot of people who are arguing against a change are doing it based on having personally seen the impact that's had in other games. But here's the thing: If you don't think race should matter... why would you want to change it?
I think a lot of people who are arguing against a change are doing it based on having personally seen the impact that's had in other games. But here's the thing: If you don't think race should matter... why would you want to change it?
I don't think anyone's saying it shouldn't matter at all, either.
For reference as well, I've been a Lusternia player for more years than I'd like to admit. I have also personally seen how shitty and pointless race has become because of the way it's treated there. Please realize that that's not at all what I'm proposing, as race as a concept is handled entirely different here. That's a good thing. I like that.
Since it has no mechanical benefit, I don't see any reason to not give a novice/time-played one-off reset with the option to purchase a one-use arti to swap. Something something HETE has to perform extra manipulation to your replicator so your body doesn't go insane or something. Hell, I wouldn't even mind a gem of transmutation.
That lets race stay 'relevant' while allowing some flexibility and unique narratives behind a paywall. Amnesiac body swaps! Start a Dolezal Dynasty! Customizable pleasure slaves! Etc etc.
The argument is that the race of your character should be important decision. If it becomes something you can easily, or at all, change, then it becomes irrelevant and inevitably leads to cheapening racial roleplay.
I honestly can't say I disagree. Mostly just think novices (and everyone who has participated in the beta) should have the opportunity to say once, 'Actually, you know what, I think that race over there fits my character better."
It's fine for people to place that kind of importance on their race, but it should also be fine for others to not be held to the same expectations. For some of us, it really is irrelevant to a point, and that should be okay. If you (the general you, not you you) don't like the potential ability to change your own race, don't change your own race, know what I mean?
I mean, if it's so irrelevant why do you need to change then?
I mean if we’re talking immersion, why can’t HETE put my cerebral upload into whatever I choose? Seems like an arbitrary limitation for some high brow RP people more than anything.
Altered Carbon has a potential answer for this.
From memory people that get dropped into different sleeves (bodies) from their original are at an increasing risk of going insane, still human bodies but there's the sense of self from like looking in the mirror and seeing your own face that you lose when you change even that along with the myriad other aspects of your body that make up you. Some people can deal with it, particularly with specialised training, but the vast majority can't deal with it. On the other hand, people that can afford clones of their original bodies are pretty much immortal because they're always coming back as themselves.
Take that concept and apply that to changing your species entirely, the sense of self of the character would likely be shattered but you also start running into the more significant physical changes. Look at the visible differences in each of the races, a Human swapping to a Nath'el is a major change, like they'd need to learn how to walk again with the wings and they're somewhat close unlike swapping to a W'hoorn or Krona.
That's also before you start thinking about how much is actually in the cerebral upload and the impact it could have on unconscious body functions. Like the flight or fight response could function differently for different races but your upload might try to trigger your born races responses after a swap and at best might be useless and at worst deadly to yourself.
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That being said, a one time race change during open beta would be fine. There was a rush to join on day one, some people didn't bother paying attention, I get that. Others paid no attention to their character's ages and discovered they were 15. lol.
I'm also 110% behind the ability to switch genders, and I feel like Decheerans should be able to choose between it/its and they/their.
There's also an available RP reason for it, too: before level 15, your clones are free. And because it's free, HETE doesn't care as much if they put you in a proper body (yay capitalism!), hence race mismatches.
- Ilyos (August 2019)
I seriously love that reasoning.
Also support the same for gender. One time free (plus rename?) and rest as arti. See previous argument about 'meatsack' modification.
Ironically, the term has since become politicized by people like Jordan Peterson, who have willfully misrepresented* the concept and crafted it into a derogatory word for any approach that questions or challenges the structures of power whose narratives, until recently, have dominated our discussions to the point of becoming taken for granted as an objective truth as opposed to messages that exist within a sociopolitical context.
* That or they legitimately do not understand it. Dude has a PhD though, so my bet is that it's willful.
That being said, I would personally be interested in having it available through novicehood as well as one freebie for the beta. But if I change my mind again, I don't think it's unreasonable to want for an alternative to, you know, rolling an entirely new character because someone else might be offended by the idea.
I honestly can't say I disagree. Mostly just think novices (and everyone who has participated in the beta) should have the opportunity to say once, 'Actually, you know what, I think that race over there fits my character better."
That is also different than introducing game lore that race is an interchangeable and irrelevant commodity, which impacts people via world-building than just those who choose to make use of the service.
For reference as well, I've been a Lusternia player for more years than I'd like to admit. I have also personally seen how shitty and pointless race has become because of the way it's treated there. Please realize that that's not at all what I'm proposing, as race as a concept is handled entirely different here. That's a good thing. I like that.
That lets race stay 'relevant' while allowing some flexibility and unique narratives behind a paywall. Amnesiac body swaps! Start a Dolezal Dynasty! Customizable pleasure slaves! Etc etc.
Altered Carbon has a potential answer for this.
From memory people that get dropped into different sleeves (bodies) from their original are at an increasing risk of going insane, still human bodies but there's the sense of self from like looking in the mirror and seeing your own face that you lose when you change even that along with the myriad other aspects of your body that make up you. Some people can deal with it, particularly with specialised training, but the vast majority can't deal with it.
On the other hand, people that can afford clones of their original bodies are pretty much immortal because they're always coming back as themselves.
Take that concept and apply that to changing your species entirely, the sense of self of the character would likely be shattered but you also start running into the more significant physical changes. Look at the visible differences in each of the races, a Human swapping to a Nath'el is a major change, like they'd need to learn how to walk again with the wings and they're somewhat close unlike swapping to a W'hoorn or Krona.
That's also before you start thinking about how much is actually in the cerebral upload and the impact it could have on unconscious body functions. Like the flight or fight response could function differently for different races but your upload might try to trigger your born races responses after a swap and at best might be useless and at worst deadly to yourself.